Autumn
by Luneve
Summary: Lillian's a florist living in Konohana, enjoying her life, job, and especially her independence. Mikhail's a polite violin virtuoso who just moved to Lillian's town. Physical attraction: immediate, love: eventually.
1. The Florist

Lillian worked quietly, drifting from flower to flower in the early morning mist. She made sure she gave each tiny bud as much attention as possible, knowing plants that were meticulously cared for turned out the best. It was hard work; she fertilized, watered, pruned, and arranged them all herself.

She took pride in her work and loved watching the tiny seeds grow and blossom into magnificent flowers with velvety petals and vibrant colors. In her opinion, it was like magic. Other villagers thought so too and often visited her to gaze at her flourishing gardens. After a while, the whole town knew her as a florist instead of a rancher and she began selling her flora in place of crops. Living in Konohana was like a dream, yet she still felt something was missing.

"Good morning Lillian, do you want any help watering?" asked a soft and familiar feminine voice.

The florist looked up to see her friend Nori, clad in her usual pink flower-embroidered outfit standing over her with a smile on her face. Lillian smiled back, "I would love some help, but are you sure you're not too busy on the farm?"

"I always have time to aide my friends," replied the tall black-haired woman, carefully filling up a spare watering can and not letting a single drop of water hit the ground. Lillian always admired the graceful and effortless manner in which her friend conducted herself. "So…how are things with Cam?" However, Nori certainly had flaws…such as her love for gossip.

"You know there's nothing between Cam and me. I don't understand why this rumor keeps going around," said Lillian moving over to water a row of orange and red carnation seeds.

"Well for a start, you're both florists," said Nori, now watering a bush with vibrantly colored leaves and no flowers. "Lillian, what is this? It's very pretty."

Lillian picked her head up from her work and gazed at the plant her friend spoke of, smiling a bit. "That's a coleus. I generally don't grow them but I thought I would try it out. I fell in love with all its colors so I think I'll grow more next year, even though they're a bit difficult to manage. I have to trim them and cut off the flower stems to keep them from getting too leggy."

Nori nodded with a smile. Just as Lillian admired her for her elegance, Nori admired Lillian's extremely green thumb. It was simply astounding the way her gardens were always teeming with life.

"Also, if everyone fell in love simply based on their occupation wouldn't you be married to Ash? After all, you're bother farmers," Lillian added with a saccharine sweet smile.

Nori's face contorted in disgust, "I could never wed that man! All he talks about is animals and he has grown to smell like them too." Lillian let out a small laugh while bending down to sniff a particularly fragrant miltoniopsis orchid. Nori sighed, "I accept the fact that Cam and you don't belong together because you're both florists, but isn't he pretty sweet to you?"

Lillian thought about it for a moment. Cam _was_ quite nice. He was especially good at sensing her mood and always seemed to show up, breathtaking bouquet in hand, to cheer her up. She also spent many of her afternoons strolling the forest with the Bluebellian man. Unlike most people Lillian knew, Cam never filled their time together with meaningless chatter. It was strangely refreshing and she truly treasured him, but she wasn't interested in being anything more than friends. He probably wasn't either. "Cam's a great friend, but I don't think I could ever think of him as anymore than that," said Lillian at last.

"Okay, so if it's not Cam, what guy _are_ you interested in?" asked Nori

Now it was Lillian's turn to sigh. She was twenty years old and had only been in one real relationship. The main reason was because she simply didn't want to be in one. Lillian was perfectly satisfied with her life as it was and wasn't interested in adding the stress of being romantically involved with anyone. However, Nori was all about falling in love and Lillian didn't want to sound like a cynic. "No one. I suppose I just haven't met the right person."

"Well I guess I can't argue with that, but I never pictured you as the fairy tale ending kind of girl," said Nori, pushing herself off the ground and gently dusting the dirt off her skirt.

"Fairy tale ending?" asked Lillian curiously, mimicking Nori's actions and placing her watering can back by the fountain.

Nori nodded with a smile, "waiting for your prince charming, right?"

Lillian looked up at the deep blue sky, "something like that." It wasn't quite what she actually meant, but she didn't want to linger on the subject of her love life for much longer. Lillian's train of thought was interrupted by Nori's sudden gasp.

"What time is it?" she asked urgently.

"It's probably about noon, the sun's right over head," Lillian replied.

Nori let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad. I told Reina I would meet her for lunch, would you like to come?"

"No thank you, I'm not very hungry. I think I'll go pick up some books at town hall," said Lillian with a smile.

Nori smiled back and waved goodbye to her friend before walking off in the direction of Yun's Tea House.

Lillian rested on the soft grass for a moment, admiring the products of her hard work before pushing herself up off the ground and making her way to Town Hall.

She walked slowly, thoroughly enjoying Konohana's natural beauty. Some of the leaves on the trees were already beginning to turn, little bits of red and orange shown brightly against their green background. Lillian smiled to herself. Autumn was her favorite season. Most florists preferred the growing warmth of Spring and the promise of newly budding flowers, but not Lillian. Of course, she loved the way each tree was set ablaze with a myriad of fiery colors and refreshing cooling of the atmosphere after Summer's insane heat, but she also loved the hint of sadness Autumn brought with it. It was that nostalgic feeling she got as she watched the plants wither, remembering the vivacity they held in Summer. Autumn stirs the desire for the past in humans, unobtainable as it is and there was always something beautiful about that for Lillian.

"Lil! Hey, Lil!" called a voice, disrupting the brunette florist's train of thought. She turned to see her friend Phillip running towards her.

"Hey Phil," she greeted. Though Lillian had made friends with most of the people in both Bluebell and Konohana, Phil would always be her best friend. They had known each other since they were both little, but eventually they went their separate ways. It was simply by chance that Lillian moved to the village next to his. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't drop by to hang out with my friend?" Phil questioned with a bright smile.

"Of course you can, you know I love having you around, but you've been coming here a lot lately. Are you sure there isn't any other reason?" asked Lillian curiously.

Phillip considered her words for a moment before breaking into another large smile, "alright, ya caught me. I'm here to see Nori."

"Nori? I thought you were dating Georgia," said Lillian, eying him suspiciously. Phil was great, but she had known him to be a bit of a playboy in the past, much to her displeasure.

Phillip noticed the slightly disapproving look in her eyes and immediately defended himself, "I am, and don't worry, I've been the perfect boyfriend. I'm only here to see Nori because a friend of mine's got a thing for her. I told him I'd put in a good word."

"Ah," said Lillian, hoping it wasn't Ash but not wanting to pry. The poor boy would certainly have a hard time earning her affections if this morning's conversation was any indication.

"Any idea where I might find her?" asked Ash.

"Yes actually, she's at Yun's Tea House," answered Lillian helpfully.

"Perfect, I'll walk you to the library," said Phillip, already a couple of steps ahead of the florist.

Lillian caught up with him quickly. "I never said I was going to the library."

Phillip shrugged and flashed her a smile, "I know you're secretly a nerd, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Lillian just smiled to herself and continued to walk next to the charismatic rancher. She listened to him talk about the animals he was raising and how he was finally getting the hang of growing decent crops.

They reached the library in a couple of minutes and Phillip turned to leave. "Well milady, this is where we will be forced to part ways. You see, 'twas not meant to be. We're just too different. Please, think of me fondly for I will always be in your heart, and you in mine," he announced dramatically.

"I sincerely hope that's not one of your actual break-up lines," Lillian teased.

"Should I tweak it?" he asked jokingly. Lillian laughed in response and said goodbye to him before walking inside Town Hall. She opened her mouth to greet Ina, but quickly shut it as she realized the competitive, hard-working mayor was nowhere to be found. "That's odd," Lillian mumbled to herself.

Lillian wandered the halls of the extremely traditional building searching for, well, anyone really at this point. A deserted Town Hall was downright creepy.

"She's not here right now."

Lillian let out a small shriek and spun to see who was talking, losing her balance in the process and falling to the ground. The first thing she noticed after the throbbing pain in her butt, was a pair of brown shoes attached to black pant-clad legs standing in front of her. She tilted her head up more to view the rest of the person.

He was tall, for starters, probably around 6'1" or 6'2". His slightly messy hair was an astonishing white: no gray, no silver, pure white. A pair of plain black rectangular glasses was perched on the bridge of his nose, and behind their lenses, his light grey eyes met her deep purple ones. Along with the afore mentioned articles of clothing, he wore an orange shirt with an indent at the base of the neckline under a long, tan trench coat.

It took Lillian a moment to realize he was offering her a hand up, but she quickly grabbed hold of it so he could help her up off the ground.

"I am very sorry about that; I did not mean to startle you. I hope you are not injured?" he asked in a low and smooth voice that sent pleasant chills down her spine.

"No, it's my fault too; I overreacted," Lillian assured him, feeling guilty about her actions.

The man gave her a small smile, "my name is Mikhail, may I ask for yours?" He was being very formal, more so than Hiro even.

"Nice to meet you Mikhail, I'm Lillian," said Lillian, returning the smile. Polite as he was, she noticed his eyes give her a quick up and down. It was a bit embarrassing, but given the fact she had done the exact same thing, she couldn't complain. "Are a new resident here?" asked Lillian curiously and even a bit hopefully. The fact that she didn't want to be in a relationship was still true, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the presence of a very attractive man.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I'll be living here in Town Hall. Your mayor, Ina, has graciously allowed for me to use one of the rooms," explained Mikhail.

"That's wonderful, I hope you'll like it here. You certainly picked a good time to come. Autumn is beautiful here," said Lillian directing her attention to the window for a moment.

"Yes, Autumn is my favorite season," said Mikhail, following her gaze.

Lillian smiled to herself but didn't say anything. "It was nice talking to you Mikhail, but if you'll excuse me, I came here to borrow a couple of books."

"Of course, I do not wish to keep you from your errands. Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked kindly.

"I don't want to impose on you, I'm sure you must be busy moving in," said Lillian, appreciating his offer.

"On the contrary, I actually just finished," he said.

Lillian smiled again, "then I accept your offer. I'm looking for a book called _The History of Floriculture_." She walked up the small set of wooden stairs to the enormous bookcases at the back of the building, scanning the mahogany shelves.

Mikhail followed her lead and joined her on the platform. "Floriculture, hm? Are you starting a garden?" he asked.

"Something like that," said Lillian, continuing her searching but sneaking a quick glance at the man next to her every now and then. An object suddenly blocked her vision.

"Your book," said Mikhail with the same friendly smile, but this time there was a knowing and almost…playful look in his eyes.

"Ah, thank you," said Lillian, taking the large blue book from him, feeling a bit disappointed he had found it so quickly.

"You are welcome," said Mikhail. They stood in silence for a moment before Lillian spoke up.

"I ought to be getting home," she said, holding the book against her chest, "it really was nice meeting you. I hope we can talk again sometime."

Mikhail nodded. "I will make sure of it," he affirmed, maintaining his polite smile.


	2. The Violinist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest moon.**

_I love getting feedback, so leave a review :)_

Mikhail turned his head to watch the florist exit Town Hall. She was small, probably just over 5 feet, and cute; innocent was probably the best way to describe the way she looked, the exact opposite of his 'type', for lack of a better word. She had shoulder-length ashy brown tresses that framed her pale, heart-shaped face. Her lips, like two pink petals, had curved into a pretty little smile when she introduced herself. However, he remained for the most part uninterested until the moment he noticed her eyes.

They were purple, or amethyst, rather. No, cold stones couldn't do her eyes justice. They were…the color of the sky just before it darkened to black: deep, mysterious, and most of all, alluring. Just with those eyes, his entire opinion of her changed. She had piqued his interest, and without a second thought, he had done his best to make sure he would see her again, and soon.

"Mikhail, are you here?" asked a firm feminine voice. It was a lot like the blare of a trumpet: strong, clear, and independent, much like the woman herself.

"Ah, Ina, I was just admiring your collection of books. It is quite impressive," Mikhail noted.

Ina nodded curtly. "Of course. I work hard to keep this town in the best shape it can be in, and that includes offering my villagers as many resources as we can afford," she said, her voice filled with pride for Konohana, "I'm sorry I had to leave you in the middle of your tour. I had some urgent business to attend to, but now we can continue."

"Thank you very much," said Mikhail politely.

Ina walked briskly out of Town Hall, motioning for him to follow. He did as he was told and got so caught up in admiring the beauty of the town that he almost ran into Ina. She had stopped abruptly in front of wooden fence. Inside the fenced in area there were many delicious looking vegetables and fruits growing. A small plump man in a bamboo hat was in the middle of sowing seeds in a patch of loamy soil.

"Good afternoon Gombe," said Ina with a friendly smile.

The man, Gombe, looked up and gave her a smile in return, wiping his hands on his pants and walking towards his mayor. "To what do I owe the pleasure Mayor Ina?" he asked pleasantly before his eyes drifted over to Mikhail.

Ina noted the old man's slight confusion at Mikhail's presence and quickly explained, "this is Mikhail. He has just moved into town hall. Mikhail, this is-

"I'm Gombe," the old man interrupted cheerily, sticking out a pudgy little hand for Mikhail to shake, "I own this farm."

Mikhail gave him a polite smile and shook his hand, "I am Mikhail. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Gombe nodded excitedly, "Stay here, you ought to meet my granddaughter!" The little man ran inside of his picturesque farmhouse with as much energy as six-year old.

Ina smiled faintly, "Gombe's a great farmer and very wise, he just doesn't act it. It's actually a bit of a trend with the old men in this village." Right on cue, another old man walked by, giving a respectful nod to both Ina and Mikhail before continuing on his way. The serious greeting seemed out of place, considering the fact he was dressed in a full body panda suit. "That's Sheng, the blacksmith. He's a bit odd, but he means well."

Mikhail didn't mind. He traveled the world and had seen plenty of strange things. Yes, maybe an old man in a panda suit was up there on the list, but it wasn't completely out of the ordinary…

The violinist's thoughts were interrupted by Ina's sharp voice, "what's wrong Gombe?"

Gombe sighed, clearly disappointed, "I'm sorry mayor; I forgot that Nori went out to lunch with her friends. I didn't mean to waste your time."

"You did not waste our time in the least! Don't worry, I'm sure we'll run into your granddaughter somewhere along the way," Ina reassured him. Gombe perked right up at her words.

"You're right, you're right, I was being silly. It was nice meeting you Mikhail, but now, duty calls!" he said, turning on his heel and continuing to sow his seeds with renewed vigor.

Ina continued his tour. He met Hiro and Ayame in the clinic, quickly learning he was in good hands if an accident ever were to occur; then she led him to Raul's store, where he was introduced to the shop's poncho-clad owner; after that, they ran into Mako, an orchard owner who was just making his way to the mountain. They were all quite nice, and Mikhail was fairly certain he would enjoy his time in Konohana after meeting them all.

Ina stopped again, motioning to a quaint building with bright red paper lanterns hanging on the corners that gave off a warm, inviting glow. "This is Yun's Tea House. Yun is our village's best cook, so if you're ever hungry, I highly recommend paying her a visit." Ina walked up the steps and pushed back the heavy crimson cloth embroidered with an intricate design that hung in the doorway.

Mikhail followed her into the house and glanced around. An old lady stood behind a counter with many delicious looking dishes spread out in front of her. His eyes lingered for a second on an especially tempting looking cup of steaming oolong tea before he turned his attention back to the mayor.

"This is Yun. She lives here with her granddaughter Ying. She and my son Rahi play together a lot, I'm sure you'll run into those two little rascals sooner or later," said Ina, smiling at the thought of her beloved son.

Mikhail and the old woman exchanged greetings before his eyes caught sight of two women around his age sitting at one of the tables, chatting happily. Ina noticed them as well and called them over.

"Nori, Reina, this is Mikhail," said Ina for about the tenth time that day.

The woman with sleek, shiny black hair smiled brightly, flashing her pure white teeth, "I'm Nori, that's Reina." She wore a fitted dress made of many different shades of pink with delicate flowers sown on to the bottoms of the sleeves. She gave off a mature air, which Mikhail appreciated.

The other woman nodded slightly at the mention of her name but said nothing. She had one of the oddest hairstyles he had ever seen. Her dark brown hair seemed to be short and wavy in the back but long braids poked through the curls and fell down her back.

They didn't talk long, for Ina seemed to be getting tired of showing Mikhail around and wished to finish up quickly.

"Ina, if you have other duties to attend to, I am sure I can find my way around at this point," said Mikhail.

Ina gave him a grateful look but still asked, "Are you sure? It's my job as the mayor to show the new residents around…"

"I have had a wonderful tour; you certainly have a lovely town here," Mikhail assured honestly.

"Alright, well, the only people I didn't introduce you to were Kana, our horse expert, Dirk, our messenger, and Lillian, our farmer, or rather, florist," said Ina.

Mikhail's ears perked up at the mention of the violet-eyed girl he had met earlier that day. "I met her briefly earlier today," Mikhail mentioned without much thought.

"Well that's one less person you need to introduce yourself to then. Lillian's a nice girl, hard worker too, but she's a bit odd. Not in a bad way, she just has an uncommon perception of the world around her. She's always lost in her flowers," said Ina, shaking her head slightly, "I'll never understand how one can see such beauty in something so useless. Anyway, I must be on my way, I hope you enjoy your stay in Konohana." With one last nod at Mikhail, the dedicated mayor turned on her heel and marched of to wherever her duty led her, leaving Mikhail alone with his thoughts.

Ina's description of the woman he had met earlier that day only heightened his interest in her. After all, he was a man who appreciated people that knew how to enjoy the simpler things in life.

As he walked back to his room in Town Hall he hummed a small tune, already anxious to see what new discoveries could be made, especially involving the delightfully intriguing florist.


	3. The Art of Gardening

**Review to tell me what you think and leave a favorite quote/saying. From now on, I'll put a favorite quote of mine at the top of each chapter of my stories. Read it or don't read it, for it may or may not relate. **

_Lying smiles hurt others. Lying tears hurt oneself.  
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The next day, Lillian planned to enjoy a peaceful afternoon of reading her new book from the library. She had laid out a soft blue towel on the grass outside her house and was sprawled out comfortably. However, she couldn't quite focus on her reading today, for thoughts of the handsome white-haired man were all that filled her mind.

She frowned slightly; it wasn't like her to get so worked up over a man, especially one she hardly knew. She had too much going on in her life at the moment too concern herself with things like relationships. Besides, there was something…strange about him that she couldn't quite out her finger on. He was too polite or something. Lillian shook her head in an attempt to physically clear her mind. Picking up her book, she continued to read, finding it a bit easier to concentrate now.

It was only a couple moments later that a dark shadow loomed over Lillian and she looked up to see the subject of her anxiety, looking down at her with a smile gracing his perfectly chiseled face.

All previous notions abandoned, Lillian felt her heartbeat quicken a bit, and the feeling of wanting someone manifest itself in her for the first time in a long time.

"I hope I did not catch you at a bad time?" Mikhail inquired, though the answer was fairly obvious to both of them.

"Not at all, I'm surprised you found your way here so quickly. It took me a while to get used to the area," said Lillian, thinking of all the times Nori had to help her find her way home.

"I am a quick learner," said Mikhail. Lillian noticed the slightly playful glint in his eyes again. "This is quite an impressive garden," he said, changing the subject, "you gave me the impression it was simply a hobby yesterday."

"I think it's more fun that way," she said with a small smile.

"Fun?" asked Mikhail curiously.

"Absolutely. It's like a surprise in a way, right? If I had told you I had a big garden it wouldn't be nearly as exciting," Lillian explained.

"Looking to make an impact?" asked Mikhail.

"I suppose that's a good way of putting it. I just like observing the looks on people's faces when they see my garden for the first time."

Mikhail smiled to himself, "you are very talented."

Lillian brushed off the compliment, "do you know much about flowers?"

He considered her question for a moment, "caring for them might as well be a mystery to me, however I believe I am well versed in the language of flowers." Lillian quirked an eyebrow at him. "You seem skeptical," he noted.

"Knowing a red rose means love does not make you an expert," Lillian deadpanned.

He chuckled lightly, "that is not the extent of my knowledge."

"Alright then, I believe it's time for a little test," said Lillian, strolling over to one of her flowerbeds and kneeling next to a bright yellow freesia. "Do you know this flower?"

He followed her over to the plant and looked at it for a moment. She had picked such a fitting flower. "The freesia symbolizes innocence."

"How do I know that wasn't just a lucky guess?" she asked.

"By all means, choose another," he said.

Lillian stood up and searched her surroundings for a moment before heading towards another section of the garden and pointing out a deep crimson flower.

"Gratitude is the meaning of the Camellia, correct?" asked Mikhail.

Lillian bit her lip and looked around, one particular blossom catching her eye. "Just one more," she said excitedly. This time she led him to a patch of elegant light pink flowers.

"Poppies," he said, "eternal sleep."

Lillian's eyes flashed with an emotion Mikhail didn't recognize, but it was only there for a brief moment before it disappeared. "Don't you think it's funny how such a cheery-looking flower bears such a solemn meaning?" she asked, admiring the poppy's four flat petals. "But at the same time, I almost expect it."

"What do you mean?" asked Mikhail.

"Well…it's like how people who seem the most guiltless, or happy, or just-okay, almost always turn out to be hiding something…dark," mused Lillian, smiling innocently. In that moment, Mikhail was so focused on her voice that all other sounds around him seemed to disappear altogether. When she finished her sentence it was like the whole area had slipped into dead silence.

For a moment, Mikhail didn't know what to say. The look she directed at him seemed far too knowing for his liking and it made him uncomfortable to say the least. He didn't mind people knowing about his career as a violinist and the fact that he traveled the world, but any more than that was strictly off limits. His heart was beating much too quickly due to his nerves, though he would never let it show.

"Or so I've heard," added Lillian offhandedly. And just like that, the deafening silence was shattered and Mikhail let out a sigh of relief as quietly as possible. He felt ridiculous. Who was she to make him panic like that? Just a young woman he had just met, nothing more. He had no need to worry.

"I believe that logic is a bit flawed," said Mikhail coolly, still feeling the need to derail whatever thoughts she had on the subject in fear they may one day pertain to him instead of poppies.

"You do?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.

He nodded. "If one were to go around assuming everyone who seemed happy was actually concealing something unpleasant, then that would make nearly everyone suspicious," he pointed out.

Lillian was thoughtful for a moment and then let out a small, unexpected giggle. "I suppose you're right; I was just thinking aloud," she explained. The tone of her voice had lightened but her eyes retained a sort of searching expression directed solely at him. If she hadn't thought he was hiding something before, she evidently did now, and though she spoke no more on the subject, he doubted she'd completely dropped it.

Just as Mikhail was starting to truly feel the repercussions of his impromptu visit, he heard the sharp bark of a dog to his left. The violinist turned to see a large golden retriever barreling towards him at full speed. However, instead of trying to move out of the animal's way, Mikhail knelt down with his hand out in front of him, palm up.

Lillian watched curiously as her loving retriever, Boo, stopped mid-stride right in front of the white-haired man and proceeded to first sniff then lick his outstretched hand. Dumbfounded at her pet's oddly tame behavior, Lillian could only stare for a bit as Mikhail patted Boo's head. "How did you do that?" asked Lillian at last.

"Do what?" asked Mikhail, honestly confused.

"Stop Boo from running you over like she does to everyone else," Lillian elaborated-needlessly in her opinion.

"I am not sure. I have never had much difficultly when it comes to animals. I do not believe I do anything special," replied Mikhail.

"No, it must be something…perhaps you _exude_ an alpha male aura," Lillian mused, her mouth quirked upwards slightly in amusement.

"Alpha male? I have never thought of myself in such a way," said Mikhail with a light chuckle, glad to have the conversation steered back to a relatively safe topic.

"In what way _do _you think of yourself?" asked Lillian, the searching look she had in her eyes returning in all its glory.

Mikhail refused to be fazed this time. She probably wouldn't have thought anymore about his behavior if he hadn't been so defensive earlier. He certainly wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"A musician."

"A musician?" Lillian echoed, kneeling down next to Boo and scratching her affectionately behind her floppy ears.

"Oh yes, just as surely as you grow these spectacular flowers," he gestured to her gardens, "I compose music. In fact, I came to this town seeking inspiration," explained Mikhail, proud of his answer.

"Well you do sound like one. Artistic people always seem to be searching for inspiration in some form or another. I think it must get tiring chasing after something so ambiguous," said Lillian. She knew she was being slightly rude, but she was curious to see what kind of person Mikhail was under all the layers of polite nonsense he seemed to spew.

"The lifestyle simply suits some better than others, and I enjoy every part of it, from hunting for a muse to performing the final product," explained Mikhail truthfully. Some of his happiest moments were spent working away at the violin for hours on end. It was the perfect distraction from the less desirable parts of his life.

"Well, have you found a muse yet?" asked Lillian, breaking Mikhail's train of thought.

"I believe so." The words left his mouth before he realized, but what he had said was the truth. The young woman with sparkling amaranthine eyes had caught his attention…in more ways than one. The violinist struggled not to grimace. She was too curious for her own good, but he had always been a slave to his inspiration whenever it struck, and if it chose her, then he would pursue it as he always had.

'Surely one woman could not be too much trouble' he thought, ignoring the feeling known as doubt that twisted uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach.

**The quote is from Code Geass. **


	4. Challenge

It was another beautiful autumn day, though the temperature was warmer than usual, reminiscent of summer. Once she had finished tending to her flowers she took off for the mountains, already quite certain of how she wanted to spend the beautiful day.

Lillian's mood brightened further as she realized what day it was: Thursday. Thursday meant Cam in her mind. Sure she saw him lots of other days, but Thursday was special for them. She'd first Cam on Thursday, walking around at the base of the mountain on the Bluebell side. He spent all of his Thursday and Friday afternoons in that area and seemed to appreciate the company, especially after he realized she was a fellow flower lover. After a while it just became habit for the two to spend time together Thursday afternoons and Lillian always looked forward to seeing her good friend.

Contrary to what many, including Nori, believed, the two florists were merely friends with similar interests. No secret, forbidden, trans-village love, or whatever ridiculous rumors were going around now.

Lillian continued down the mountain path and her face broke into a smile when she caught sight of a familiar purple hat. The person wearing said hat was kneeling beside the river, staring intently into the rushing waters.

She walked up behind him, not wanting to startle him. They had the whole afternoon; she could wait a couple of minutes for him to continue his inspection of the river. As fate would have it though, fallen leaves crunch very audibly when stepped on and Cam turned to face her upon her approach.

"I was trying to be quiet; I didn't mean to interrupt you," said Lillian with a smile.

Cam gave her a soft smile back. "You didn't really; I just thought I saw something," he explained.

"Really?" asked Lillian with a slight tilt of her head, approaching the stream and crouching down next to the shy florist. "Well, let's take a look then." She peered into the water and Cam watched as she knitted her brow in concentration, quietly searching.

"Oh! I think I see something too!" said Lillian, reaching her hand into the cool water and pulling out the tiny object that glimmered on the riverbed.

Cam looked down in interest at what she held in her hand and was slightly disappointed to see what looked like an old, bronze coin. "It's just a coin," Cam murmured, leaning away from the river, no longer as interested.

Lillian frowned slightly at his words. "Yes, it's just a coin, but don't you wonder how to got there?" she questioned, continuing to inspect her discovery.

Cam shrugged. "Maybe it fell out of someone's pocket when he or she was crossing the bridge," he suggested.

"That's boring," said Lillian, shooting him a brief, mock disapproving look.

"Where do _you_ think it came from then? The sky?" he asked.

Lillian chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "That'd be rather interesting, but I was thinking a bit more practically than that," she explained, "you see, I was thinking it was a wish coin."

"Wish coin?" asked Cam, once again interested in the old coin.

Lillian nodded. "You know, from a wishing well, the wishing well in your town to be exact. It might be connected to this river somewhere at the bottom, and I'm sure someone threw a coin in that well at sometime to make a wish. Hence, we found a wish coin."

Cam considered what she said for a moment, and Lillian watched as his thumb found his mouth as it always did when he was thinking. He had an odd habit of biting it whenever he was deep in thought.

"I think Ash fell in the well when he was younger…He didn't say anything about a hole in the side of it," said Cam.

"I doubt Ash was paying much attention to his surroundings while he was drowning," said Lillian with a laugh.

Cam frowned. "I never said he was _drowning_."

"He was just taking a little dip then?" asked Lillian, her purple eyes glittering with mirth.

"Well…"

"I was just kidding; he didn't seriously jump into the well for a swim, did he?" asked Lillian in shock.

Cam laughed and shook his head, "no, he was reaching in for a doll Cheryl had dropped in and he sort of lost his footing."

"Sounds like him. He'd really do anything for his sister," said Lillian with a small smile, "makes me miss my brother."

It was a bit odd, but Cam took the moment to admire his friend. While he enjoyed her bright cheery smile well enough, it was the smile on her face now that really fascinated him. It was soft and genuine, with a hint of something sad in her eyes. After knowing her for as long as he did-about two years now-he realized it was the look she had whenever she talked of someone she loved and missed.

There was no doubt in his mind that she adored living in Konohana, but there had to be days when she longed for the home she'd left. Sometimes he wondered just how many people she'd left behind. She spoke of family from time to time, and left for about a week last year to visit them, but she hadn't really mentioned anyone else. Every now and then she'd say 'a friend of mine,' and get that same look on her face, but that was it.

…Did she look like that when she thought of him?

Cam felt heat rush to his cheeks at the thought. He was friends with Lillian, but he doubted she saw him in that way. With love, that is.

He sighed at the thought. In all her years of living in Konohana, she hadn't shown any romantic interest in any of the two towns' bachelors, and that included him, though he liked to think she was just a bit fonder of him than the rest. And of Phillip of course.

The outgoing redhead liked to point that fact out often, lording it over the florist's head like it was some sort of trophy. When he first learned of the two's relationship, _friendship_, from before she lived in Konohana, Cam had felt a twinge of something he was embarrassed to admit was jealousy. He'd asked her about it that very week, in his own roundabout way and she'd laughed, explaining that Phillip-Phil as she called him-was a childhood friend of hers. Her words had soothed his jealous heart, and it was then that he'd realized his feelings towards his friend were more than, well, friendly.

He kept it to himself though. Yes, for over a year he'd kept it to himself, because that's what he was good at. He wasn't brave and outgoing like Ash and Phillip, he was shy and quiet. There were times, like this one, when he wished he could tell her. But in the end, the immense fear of rejection kept his mouth shut.

For now, he could be satisfied with her friendship.

"Cam, what _are_ you thinking about?" asked Lillian, and Cam realized her face was much closer to his now than it was before.

"Hm?" he asked, fighting back the blush that threatened to expose him.

Lillian leaned away conscious of his desire for personal space, but her eyes still sparkled with curiosity. "You were staring into space for a bit there. I thought I lost you to the stars," she said chuckling at her own, slightly amusing joke.

Cam's mouth twisted into his typical small smile in response and he shook his head. "It's nothing."

"That so?" asked Lillian, not convinced.

"Mm," Cam assured her. Lillian remained unconvinced but didn't say as much. She respected the fact that Cam wouldn't tell her every thought that ran through his mind and she, unlike others, didn't want to push him.

The two fell into a companionable silence for a few moments, simply listening to the soft babbling of the brook before Cam surprisingly broke the silence.

"I heard there's a new villager in your town," he said. He wasn't particularly interested in the new person, but he enjoyed listening to Lillian talk. She made the dullest things interesting for him, just like the coin.

Lillian flinched slightly at the mention of the new villager; however, Cam's eyes were on the stream once more, so he didn't notice.

"You must be talking about Mikhail," she said, regaining her composure, "he's a sort of traveling musician."

"What instrument does he play?"

Lillian considered the question for a moment. "You know, I didn't ask him; it seems silly now but it didn't even come to mind."

"Hm…if he's a traveling musician, does that mean he won't be here long?"

"I don't know; I didn't ask him that either."

"…So you don't know him very well."

"No, I don't. I really don't," said Lillian thoughtfully. She wanted to know more about him; she just wasn't sure how to approach him. He was extremely guarded, more so than any person she'd met before, but that only served to intrigue her more.

He was a puzzle to her now, but he was not unsolvable. She _would_ learn more about the mysterious musician. Mikhail, look out!


End file.
